Dust can be generated when a paper web is separated from a Yankee dryer by a creping blade. Much of the dust is carried along the web in a boundary layer of air which forms due to the rapid movement of the web away from the Yankee dryer. The dust in the boundary layer oftentimes spreads into the areas around the paper machine or other equipment and may cause unwanted contamination of those parts of the paper machine.
A number of problems may be related to the production, and presence, of dust in a paper machine. For example, during printing operations unwanted dust can reduce the aesthetic quality of the final product by mixing with, or getting caught in, printing ink. Relatively high amounts of dust may also be a source of physical irritation for any person who may be in close enough proximity to inhale it. Further, dust may present a fire hazard, can be the cause of increased maintenance costs, premature equipment wear and sheet breaks.
Without being limited by theory, it is thought that dust can be formed from paper fibers which can be liberated from the paper web as a paper web impacts the surface of a creping blade. Upon liberation from the paper web, the dust may be drawn into the fluid (air) boundary layer traveling along the surface of the moving paper web. Without wishing to be limited by theory, it is thought that that approximately 90% of dust that is formed at the creping blade is drawn into the above-mentioned boundary layer.
The prior art methods of removing dust that results from the creping of paper off a Yankee dryer include the use of large vacuums or high horsepower fan-driven dust extraction systems that collect and/or separate dust from the surrounding air. However, without being limited by theory, it is thought that the forces exerted onto a paper web by fans or vacuums may cause loss of sheet control or tearing of the paper web.
Thus, there exists the need for an efficient device and method to control the migration of dust in a papermaking process that provides a minimal level of disruption to the papermaking process and in particular, to the paper web.